4 New Square poaches top senior junior

Premier professional negligence set 4 New Square has poached leading senior junior David Halpern.

Halpern, one of the top senior juniors in professional negligence and property litigation, is quitting chancery set Enterprise Chambers after 20 years.

Elspeth Mills Rendall, chambers director at Enterprise, says: "It is really to do with his career aspirations. His practice has become increasingly focused on professional negligence."

This is the second senior appointment in recent months for 4 New Square. The set recently poached top professional negligence and IT silk Nicholas Davidson QC from rival 4 Paper Buildings (The Lawyer, 18 October 1999).

The set now has six leading senior juniors in this field, double the number of its closest rivals. It also has six top silks.

In line with many other sets the chambers has rationalised its clerking and administrative functions by parting company with joint first junior Pavel Milson. He will not be replaced. Last year senior clerk Annie Hopkins also left the set.